Its an argument that is raging all over the world; should cyclists share the same pavement as pedestrians? Well Brisbane residents (Australia) are currently campaigning to get cyclists banned from all pedestrian pavements, after years of sharing them with cyclists. Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby, who is a strong voice in the campaign, has spoken out and explained that pedestrians are forced to walk alongside, “Lycra lunatics” every day. “This is the first time since Roman times, that vehicles have been invited to use the footpath,” he said. “Our gripe is that on these shared footpaths suddenly the pedestrian is a second-class citizen. Pedestrians are forced to be on constant alert for a cyclist coming up behind them and ringing a bell. “Let’s put pedestrians first, because we were here first and we out-number cyclists 50 to one. Our rights should be considered first.” Currently, on shared paths, the cyclists must give right of way to pedestrians and ride in a safe and ‘pedestrian friendly’ manner, but for many angry pedestrians think this arrangement simply isn’t working. Police have also reported that tensions between cyclists and pedestrians are increasing, and that there had to be a large scale crack-down on cyclist behavior. What are your thoughts as a cyclists or pedestrian? should cyclists be allowed to share the pavement with pedestrians? Please leave a comment below and let us know how you feel!